is it always necessary to take the original gravity

[usmc0811]

I forgot to take a reading of my OG when doing my first ever brew two days ago. Is this going to be a problem? I am thinking that it will only effect me knowing my ABV. I will make sure I check my FG and wait till I achieve it prior to bottling.

 

[TX_Brewing]

Nope, I have forgotten on a number of occasions, just leaves a little mystery!

 

[usmc0811]

cool that's what I was thinking. I'll make sure I do check the FG prior to proceeding to bottling.

 

[Dirt_McGirt]

The yeast don't care much about what we measure with our little tools, as long as you keep them happy. It'll still be beer in a couple weeks, and you'll at least have a good idea of how strong it is, as long as the rest goes well. Good luck!

 

[Stillraining]

The only time you'd really care, is if after a 12 pack and you sill don't have a buzz you'd wonder why you wasted all that time fermenting and bottling it...

 

[Qhrumphf]

If your first beer (like most are) was an extract beer, just assume that as long as you added everything you were supposed to, and didn't add anything extra or leave anything out, and you had the right volume in the fermenter, your gravity was exactly where it was supposed to be. Nice thing about extract brewing is that the sugars are essentially fixed and as long as the ingredients and the volume are right, you can't miss the gravity.

Now, if you started with a Brooklyn Brew Shop kit (which some certainly do), and were brewing all-grain from the start, then you may have been a little high or low, and there's really not a way to know (unless you were measure the ABV chemcially in a lab, but that's $$$$$) and calculate, and at that point why bother.